Monday, January 28, 2013

The Department of Music at Ashland University will present a faculty recital and a guest artist recital on back-to-back days Monday, February 4 and Tuesday, February 5 at 7:30 p.m. each evening in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall. The Monday evening recital will feature Music Department Chair and Professor of Music Dr. Thomas Reed on clarinet and saxophone, while the Tuesday recital features mezzo-soprano Dr. Susan Olson. The performances are free and open to the public.

Please note that Dr. Reed's recital has been rescheduled to a different date than what was originally published. He will be assisted by pianist Pavlina Draganova and violinist Jane Reed on his program including music by Dvorak, Maurice, Bonneau and Bartok.

Dr. Reed joined the music faculty at Ashland University in 1986 and has taught in a number of areas including applied woodwinds, music theory, and jazz studies. He is a member of the Akron Symphony (bass clarinet), Ashland Symphony (principal clarinet), and the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra (saxophone), and has performed on clarinet or saxophone with the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Blossom Festival Orchestra, Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic, Youngstown Symphony, Blossom Festival Band, and the Jazz Unit. He has been soloist with the Akron, Mansfield, and Ashland Symphonies and performs on CDs from the Akron Symphony, Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, and the Paul Ferguson Jazz Orchestra. His clarinet CD “Mutually Inclusive” was released in 2008 on Capstone Records. He holds degrees from The Ohio State University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Akron.

The Department of Music is pleased to welcome Dr. Olson back to her home state of Ohio for a guest artist recital. She received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Capital University Conservatory of Music, and her Master of Arts in Vocal Pedagogy and Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance from The Ohio State University. Dr. Olson is currently Visiting Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She has performed as soloist with the San Antonio (TX) Symphony Orchestra, Monroe (LA) Symphony Orchestra, the Westerville (OH) Symphony Orchestra, and the Zanesville (OH) Civic Orchestra and with many professional choral ensembles in her home state of Ohio. Dr. Olson has had the opportunity to perform and record under the baton of many well-known conductors, most notably the late Robert Shaw – with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and at Carnegie Hall and in the south central region of France, as a member of the Robert Shaw Festival Singers.

Dr. Olson has performed with San Antonio Opera as the Mistress of the Novices in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, Louisiana Lyric Opera as Ruth in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance and Opera/Columbus’ Education Outreach Program as The Narrator in Mark Bucci’s Sweet Betsy from Pike. Some other operatic roles performed include la zia principessa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, Madame Flora in Menotti's The Medium, The Old Lady in Bernstein’s Candide, Cecilia March in Adamo's Little Women, Isabella in Rossini’s L'Italiana in Algeri, and Mrs. Anderssen in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

The
Department of Music at Ashland
University presents several student recitals and a faculty recital in
January featuring vocalists, a percussionist and organist. All of the
recitals are free and open to the public. The student recitals are held
in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall in the Center for the Arts
(formerly known as the Arts & Humanities Building), and the faculty
organ recital is slated for the Jack and Deb Miller Chapel.

The student
recitals begin on Thursday, January 24 at 7:30 p.m. with a junior
recital by soprano Kathryn Mounts. She will perform with pianist Deb
Logan and fellow soprano Erin Lingenfelter including classical pieces
from Rossini, Shubert and Debussy to contemporary works by Ricky Ian
Gordon and Stephen Schwartz. Kathryn is a graduate of Ashland High
School and is a musical theatre and vocal performance major studying
privately
with vocal instructor Denise Howell.

On
Sunday, January 27 at 2:30 p.m., soprano Katie Vargo will perform her
senior recital with pianists Pavlina Draganova and Kyle Gould, and
Maggie Rickard on oboe. Katie is a music education major and studies
privately with vocal instructor Dione Bennett. She graduated from
Riverside High School (Painesville, OH).

Dr. Timothy Guenther

At 4:00 p.m. on
January 27, University organist and instructor of music Dr. Timothy Guenther will perform a faculty recital on organ and harpsichord in the
Jack and Deb Miller Chapel. In addition to serving as the University
Organist since 1996, Dr. Guenther also teaches applied organ and
harpsichord, as well as courses in fundamentals of basic musicianship,
and serves as accompanist as needed for the University Choir, Chamber
Singers and Ashland Area Chorus. He holds degrees in organ performance
from the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, the
University of
Alabama, and The American Conservatory of Music. He
frequently performs as keyboardist for both the Ashland Symphony
Orchestra and the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra. Rostered as an Associate
in Ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, he currently
serves as Organist and Director of Music Ministry at Gethsemane
Lutheran Church in Columbus. He is active professionally in the American
Guild of Organists, the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, the
Hymn Society,
the Organ Historical Society, the Reed Organ Society, the American
Theatre Organ Society, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He also performs
regularly on the Mighty Wurlitzer theatre organ at the Renaissance
Theatre in Mansfield.

Also on January 27 at 7:30 p.m., percussionist Matthew Dawson will present his senior recital. Matthew
is from Perrysville, Ohio and is a graduate of Lexington High School.
He is a music education major studying privately with percussion
instructor Jeff Neitzke.

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ASHLAND MUSIC NEWS is a blog to provide news and information about our programs, students, faculty, and ensembles.Ashland University is a private, comprehensive institution in Ashland, OH, founded in 1878.The Department of Music is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music.